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AliaK's blog

singing man's voice wafting through the streets of the city. the camera couldn't focus fast enough, and there was traffic noise but you can hear singing man's voice after a quick search of the streets - can't see him though. I've seen & heard him singing whilst waiting for a bus in the morning, whilst sitting next to me on a bus on the way home from work (tonight), whilst walking behind me down the street.

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I think it's time for me to learn how to play some music. I've been scarred for life since my primary school teacher said my fingers were too small (to cover the holes on the recorder!) and that I wasn't any good at it. I remember I used to practice at home quite a lot but when she said this I gave up. I know it should have made me practice more and improve but it didn't. I was probably grade 4 or 5 at the time as I think we only had music classes in the earlier primary school grades.

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my reply to a post on the "Writing the Extraordinary" MLA class I'm taking - Erik Davis is leading the class. this week we're reading & discussing fever induced writing. one of the class members posted a quote from "Black Elk Speaks, the account of an Sioux "holy man." In this context "holy man" meant that the person experienced vivid hallucinations caused by severe childhood fevers."

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I'm running out of ideas to share (for class - we've been sharing links, readings, videos, music for the past week+). my brain is shutting down with the heat and upcoming holidays. so here's a few links for Pandora - the world in the movie Avatar. I saw the movie last week in 3D and was amazed - I really want to go live on Pandora and explore the flora & fauna and colours.

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song for today : Orbital "Halcyon" since they're playing in the bush in 2010 - Playground Weekender at Wisemans Ferry, 18-21 February 2010. Orbital are one of my alltime favourite bands. I'm not sure if I want to go see them with 12000 other people though! am hoping there'll be a small sideshow, but I know that's asking too much!! staying in a teepee does sound like fun though...

yeah I love all the FSOL & Amorphous Androgynous too! PNG is on youtube. I was thinking of the old parties with the neon toadstools and forest themed chillrooms like in Avatar's Pandora (just saw it last night) & thought of FSOL & found this one.

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Shannon O'Neill has started uploading a SAD - Sound A Day - different sounds he's made or recorded or found. it's very inspiring, some of the sounds are quite quirky, and ambient, and experimental and different. he explains what the sounds are and how he made them too which I find useful. so I asked if others could join in. I've been posting a Song for the day to share with my friend Ray and anyone else who sees it, and also with the share this course/book crew. I've just noticed how many friends on facebook have been sharing songs - often youtube videos of the songs, so they can be played/embedded in the post - it's great to see! and hear. and doesn't even feel too promotional. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do a Sound a Day - as in an original sound - as I don't really make music, but I do record a lot, so maybe I'll try post a sound a week - usually a found sound or something I've recorded.

here's my SAD-k001 : birds at herzog st jerusalem
it's about 10 minutes long, so best listened to in the background. it's recorded using my Nokia N95 phone. I was sitting out on the little balcony at the back of the studio apartment I was staying in - the one with the green gate - and thinking about Starhawk's "Earth Healer" class I was taking at MLA. I was reading a book called "Homesick" by Eshkol Nevo - I was a bit homesick for Australia at this time, and it wasn't long before I moved back home. and I was looking up at the Jerusalem stones on the building next door - so sturdy and strong they seemed. all the buildings in Jerusalem are made of jerusalem stone (limestone) and it gives the city character and makes it glitter in the light at times. there was one bird sitting on the wires chatting to me, then some others came and joined in. there were long grassy weeds with pretty little white flowers in the small shared backyard, which were later removed - one week they were there and I had a verdant backyard, then I went to Istanbul for a work trip and checked afterwards and the yard was barren. It was such a lovely relaxing day, I wanted to record the sounds to help trigger my memories of it.

Dorkbot will be having a special presentation by Japanese electronic artist Daito Manabe in conjunction with the opening of Spooky Action at a Distance, a show curated by Amelia Groom at Black & Blue Gallery. The show hosts a selection of ten experimental video works by Japanese artists including the work of Daito Manabe.

After working as a system engineer and a programmer, Daito Manabe graduated from IAMAS (International Academy of Media Arts and Sciences) in 2004.
Redefining the existent media and technologies from unique angles, he has been active in various fields, such as art, design, and even research and development. He produces sounds, images, and light by analyzing and transforming numerical values gained from various sensors and input devices.

He is internationally active as a Turntablist and a Sound Artist using surround/oscillation/super low frequency technology and pursuing sensual peculiarity, commonality and interaction.

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my friend john (foaf) converted a warehouse into a performance / event space called Lightspace in Brisbane. it looks so beautiful. he's done so well! http://bit.ly/4V5AeS I've always wanted to do that. am so jealous! oh the performances he's going to have there. studios upstairs too & coffee. I'd add music & book library. in fact I'd prob just move in upstairs and live there too. might be a bit noisy when the gigs are on though. anyone got a spare couple of mill?

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I started a new Maybe Logic Academy class called Share This Course! by/with Mark Pesce. the outcome of the class is to learn more about sharing and to write a collaborative book called Share this Book. so far it's week1 and the discussions have been great. there's a amazing range of talented people who've joined up so it'll be interesting to see what comes of the project - there's academics, IT/computer people, writers, students, artists.